Leaky Tap

[Jez Graves]

Dear all,
Newbie help required again. :wha:
Have coopers stout in a barrel, all going well, apart from the fact that the tap leaks a little. The leak is coming from the tap end, the seal with the barrel itself is fine. A small drip every so often, not leaking loads, but it is a bit irritating.
Should I live with it, or re-barrel into a one with a sound tap - re-priming and then gassing to keep things going?
Would welcome any thoughts you have or advice from anyone who has had similar problems in the past.
Thanks
Jez

 

[adrianmole72]

I had a similar issue; it was down to how I turned the tap; if I turned it all the way round(so it wouldn't go anymore), for some reason, it dripped - I moved it back a little, and it cured it, but that may just have been my dodgy tap - it may work for you though.

Currently using bottles and polypins, because the wife wasn't happy with the mess/smell from a leaking keg

 

[bunkerbrewer]

Sometime with those taps, the "off" position isn't all the way back against the body of the barrel, it's only properly sealed if the tap handle is rotated a little further out.

Hard to explain - I hope that makes sense?! Maybe that's the cause of your leak?

[edit] adrian got there first - great minds etc etc :)

 

[Baz Chaz]

another possibility is that the 'tap' might not be quite seated right :idea:

when the tap is in the 'off' position ie @ 90 degrees just try a gentle press on the top of the tap whilst holding the bottom of the tap, or if you can, try and pinch the tap between your finger and thumb and squeeze :thumb: I had a FV that was a 'slow dripper' and that worked for me :thumb:

 

[MadrikXIV]

Is it a Wilko barrel?

I have 2 doing this, but, until emptied I'm stuck with it.

With the wilko ones, the actual tap can be turned upwards, just be careful if so, hold the thread and try carefully turning the tap without tightening/loosening the screwed in bit, I generall point them upwards to around 10o clock, as it's not that strong a drip.

Will be replacing the taps shortly

 

[eggman]

How much sugar did you prime it with? As it might be holding too much pressure.
Try pouring yourself a half or pint :drink: sometimes that is enough to reduce the pressure
:

 

[MadrikXIV]

How much sugar did you prime it with? As it might be holding too much pressure.
Try pouring yourself a half or pint :drink: sometimes that is enough to reduce the pressure
:

Tried that with mine, no luck, even down to the last on my Australian Pale the small drip persisited.

It is a pressure issue with my Wilko ones, water was fine in it (checked keg 3 as number 2 had leaked)

It's not the pouring hole, think its pushing out between the turny spout bit and the bit that it turns in, not sure on technical terms :d

 

[eggman]

It's not the pouring hole, think its pushing out between the turny spout bit and the bit that it turns in, not sure on technical terms :d

:hmm: If you've tried the advice that Baz said further up then I would strip the tap down and see if there's any crud that may be causing the leak. Also it's easier to see if there are any cracks splits in it when you have it apart.
The centre piece that turns should pull out from the main tap body.
If all else fails maybe worth getting a new tap, one of the site sponsers sell them here
:

 

[MadrikXIV]

As they were all brand new kegs I it was unlikely to be gunk

Contacted Wilko and they sent me a voucher to replace a keg.

Ordered 5 Youngs wine fermenter tap's to replace them all, replaced one at the moment in preperation for the Festival Stag due in the next few days.

Again seems fine with water (although it has a beer float, I had to blow fairly hard into the keg to get anything out)

Was looking at how it comes apart, but the actual plastic tap seems well moulded

 

[eggman]

Lol fair enough, well done on getting another keg out of it :party:
Only thing I can think of is over priming or kegging before it had quite finished maybe?
Good luck with the Stag, I did a Pilgrims Hope a while back and it was a cracking pint. Definitely gonna do more of the Festival kits
:

 

[MadrikXIV]

Having pulled one apart, it is a little confusing how the drip is happening.

I can see the hole is nowhere near the outlet part.

Will wait till I've finished emptying the keg, its a little tricky with 40 pints inside it :wha:

All I can think is that it is somehow squirting between the 2 parts, and then round to the hole, as when turned upwards, a small pool forms inside, definitely got me puzzled, would of thought that between the parts, the barrel connector, or where the tap pushes in to its threaded bit, maybe future use, pulling the lever bit out and vaselining that would help, didn't contemplate it as keg 1 was fine

And as mentioned, only happens with pressure added from the carbing, luckily I 'slowly' rescued the Coopers Australian Pale, may refit with beer floats as I empty them as well

 

[eggman]

If I was just one tap that had been used a few times I would of said you've got a crack somewhere, But as it's several new taps I reckon it's more likely to be to much pressure in the keg and its forcing it's way out between the two pieces.
All these barrels do have a pressure relief valve on the lid but sometimes the beer seems to find a way out of the tap/tap seal before the valve vents the excess pressure.
I had a similar thing happen to one of my barrels once. The brew had finished or so I thought so i'd kegged it and added my priming sugar, but it must of carried on fermenting because every time I went to draw a pint it was weeping from the body as well as the tap and was extremely lively :evil:

 

[MadrikXIV]

Could be, will be emptying one of the 'faulty' kegs at the weekend and pulling it apart, just odd that the drip appears to into the tap and not from between or the apparent weaker point.

Not too many problems though as the tap rotates.

And the pressure did kind of swell the barrel a bit, the feety bit don't touch the surface properly with it all :whistle:

Early experiments, but at least it was all drinkable

 

[eggman]

I had problems with my barrels too when I first started

Early experiments, but at least it was all drinkable

:lol: That's the important bit :drink: :drunk:

 

[Baz Chaz]

another possibility is that the 'tap' might not be quite seated right :idea:

when the tap is in the 'off' position ie @ 90 degrees just try a gentle press on the top of the tap whilst holding the bottom of the tap, or if you can, try and pinch the tap between your finger and thumb and squeeze :thumb: I had a FV that was a 'slow dripper' and that worked for me :thumb:

What I forgot to say was when I pinched the tap as described, there was a definate click, so something hadn't been seated properly :!: